My Friendly Monster
by Mia Vaan
Summary: Lucifer believes he's a monster. Trixie has another opinion. Or: How Trixie (and everyone else) found out that Lucifer is the Devil.
1. My Friendly Monster

**Disclaimer: The rights for _Lucifer_ belong to DC comics and Fox. And maybe God. **

**AN: Yet another new fandom. Was told by a friend to give this show a try, and now I'm obsessed. After reading a number of fanfiction, I noticed that while there's plenty of fics about how Chloe finds out who Lucifer actually is, I haven't seen any where Trixie finds out. So I'm writing my own. I may add more chapters if enough people are interested or I get anymore ideas, but for now it's just a oneshot. Enjoy!**

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Lucifer's grip on the steering wheel was so tight that he wouldn't be surprised if he ripped the entire thing off on the next turn.

Maze was having similar thoughts. "You rip that out, we won't make it there in time." She was sat next to him in the convertible, her leg bouncing repeatedly both in anticipation and worry. Her friend could tell that her hands were itching to close themselves around the throats of the scumbags they were after.

The Devil couldn't even grin like he usually did when they were on a hunt.

The Detective's offspring was tolerable compared to most children, but he still preferred to keep his distance from her. And yet, the thought of her in the clutches of humankind's truly terrible actually induced fear in him.

And anger.

The day had started out normal enough; business as usual. He and Chloe were called by Ella to what was first thought to be a random car crash, but the young forensic scientist had discovered that the victim – a young woman by the name of Adalyn Page – hadn't sustained any life-threatening injuries from the crash itself, and had in fact been strangled to death.

Further details began to add up. The woman's six-year-old daughter, Bo, was traumatized but unharmed. A truck driver who had witnessed the incident stated that when he'd arrived, the driver of the van that had also been involved in the crash was attempting to pry open the back door to reach the child, but then fled upon realizing that he wasn't alone. It led to Chloe concluding that the crash had been a kidnapping attempt; if the suspect had wanted both woman and child dead, he would have done more damage when running the car off the road.

Suspicion had fallen upon the child's father first: a wealthy businessman by the name of Xavier Edwards, who barely paid child support and outwardly refused to acknowledge his daughter's existence. Though Lucifer was puzzled when, after being confronted with Adalyn's death, the man's attitude changed and he was genuinely shocked and guilty over what had happened; blaming himself for not being there for the pair like he should have been.

Too much did it remind Lucifer of his own guilt concerning Uriel, which still continued to eat away at him.

Xavier's alibi was iron-clad. Security footage showed him shopping in a convenience store at the time of the incident, and while it didn't exclude the possibility that he had paid someone to do it, Chloe's gut told her that he was innocent. "Why would he kidnap a kid he didn't even care about?" was what she said.

A talk with Adalyn's parents, Ian and Marina Page, revealed the true killer. They explained that she'd been dating a man named Craig Blake, but that morning had called them in a hurry; desperately telling them not to let Craig in and that she'd explain why once she arrived at their home. That phone call was the last they heard from her before the crash.

Deep digging at the precinct revealed that Craig was actually part of a human trafficking ring that the LAPD had been trying to bust for some time – a ring that specialized in kidnapping and transporting young children out of the country.

"He must have been dating Adalyn in order to get to her child," Chloe had explained after the discovery. "She found out, tried to escape with Bo, and Craig killed her before attempting to take the kid."

It was easy, and over in a day. Case closed.

But then Craig called the precinct and revealed that he had Trixie.

Chloe had a choice: either she agreed to an exchange to hand over Bo in order to get her daughter back, or she'd never see Trixie again.

Lucifer took a third option.

With Maze's help, he tracked down some men who worked with Craig, and it took only minutes to convince them to reveal the location where Trixie was being held: a warehouse by the docks, which Lucifer thought was absurdly clichéd and wondered how the LAPD hadn't caught them. The Devil and the demon left the whimpering men for the police before setting out.

Lucifer only hoped that they weren't too late.

"Try not to have too much fun, Maze," he told the demon when the car pulled to a halt outside the warehouse. "The offspring is our first concern."

Maze shrugged as they climbed out. "You know, Decker's gonna be pissed that we didn't call this in."

"I'm sure she will forgive us once she has the spawn in her arms," said Lucifer. "And besides, these men most likely have guns. I'd like to be bullet proof, thank you very much."

They split up and entered through different sides of the building. Lucifer was walking through the quiet darkness for only a minute before he heard the sounds of a fight; men yelling and screaming as Maze no doubt took care of them with gleeful rage.

He didn't sneak; just walked with purpose through the warehouse, tossing aside the human scum that got in his way. A few of them fired at him, but he didn't even acknowledge the bullets; just kept on walking until one terrified buffoon pointed him in the right direction.

When Lucifer found them, Craig was pointing a gun at Trixie's head. The Devil knew that the trafficker wouldn't kill her; she was too valuable, either as leverage or as cargo. He couldn't afford to kill her. Yet it didn't stop the waves upon waves of rage that overwhelmed him, and he stalked towards the pitiful human, consumed with the vengeful wrath of the Archangel he'd once been.

Craig fired at him, but the bullets did nothing. The man's eyes grew wider the closer Lucifer got, and when the Devil wrapped his hands around Craig's throat – barely acknowledging Trixie, who ran for cover the moment she was free – the trafficker dropped the gun and begged for mercy.

"Please! I'll give you anything! Money! Drugs! Or a kid! You like kids?"

The rage increased, because Lucifer knew _exactly_ what Craig meant by that – the reason _why_ the children were taken had been sickeningly obvious – and he tossed the man against the far wall before stalking towards him once again.

Only the stalking was accompanied by his fiery eyes of Hell and his true, red-skinned form. Craig screamed in terror, and Lucifer was prepared to make him _wish_ for death and the Hell that followed.

But a frightened yelp stopped him in his tracks.

He turned from the trafficker, and his fiery eyes met the brown terrified ones of Trixie, who was watching him from behind a crate on the other side of the room. She immediately hid from sight, and Lucifer heard her whimper.

She'd seen his true form, and she was afraid. Of _him_.

The fire in his eyes was extinguished, and all desire to punish Craig Blake left him in a way it never had before. He gave the man a swift kick to the head, knocking him out, before returning his attention to Trixie.

"Beatrice?" he called out to her, keeping his voice soft. There was no movement from where she was hiding.

He almost cried. _Yet more destruction I leave in my wake. Why can't I stop hurting the people closest to me?_

Sure, Trixie could be a nuisance more often than not, especially when she constantly invaded his personal space with unwelcome hugs. And yet, he admired her ability to get into all sorts of mischief (the plan with the doll was genius, and it still irked him that the Detective had refused to let him reward her for it), along with her upbeat attitude towards life.

And although he'd never admit it, the way her face lit up whenever she saw him – just knowing that his presence made someone happy – warmed his heart, and he was always left smiling on the inside.

 _Now she'll never smile at me in the same way again_.

It felt like the entire building had collapsed on top of him, and he just wanted to go back to Lux, drink everything in sight before curling into a ball and accepting the shame and loneliness he had wrought upon himself. He should've known that things would end in such a disastrous, heart-breaking way.

 _I'm the Devil. I should have expected nothing less. Monsters deserve to be alone_.

Before he knew it, he was on the floor, elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. Legs bent, spread out, his feet flat and firmly planted on planet Earth, but he still felt like he was falling again; down and down into a dark pit of loneliness and despair that had no bottom. There was no end to his fall, but he thought it was no less than he deserved.

 _At least if I'm falling into a bottomless pit, I'll never hurt anyone again_. He began to wonder if that was the true reason why his Father sent him to Hell – to keep him away from the people he cared about, so he didn't hurt them like it was in his nature to do.

He was so lost in his thoughts than he didn't hear the light footsteps approaching him.

"Lucifer?"

A hand touched his arm, and Lucifer looked up to find Trixie before him, the fear gone in her eyes and replaced with sympathy.

Sympathy for the Devil. He almost laughed bitterly at the thought.

But he couldn't. Not at Trixie. Not when she was staring at him like that.

"Beatrice?" was all he could say. Why was she approaching him after what she'd seen? Why was she no longer afraid?

Her head tilted while she considered him. "Are you a monster?"

He couldn't lie to her. The Devil never lied – not even when he knew the truth would send her running from him in terror. "Yes, Beatrice. I'm afraid…that I am." His voice nearly broke. "A monster is all I'll ever be."

Shutting his eyes, he turned away from her to spare himself the pain of watching her flee in fear.

But instead he felt her warm hand on his cheek as she turned his face towards her again. He opened his eyes and was amazed to see her smiling at him with innocence only a child could manage.

"But you saved me," she said. "You're my friend, and Mommy's friend. You make us smile. So, that makes you a friendly monster." And then her arms were around him, hugging him for dear life as she bundled into his lap and almost knocked him flat on his back. "You're _my_ friendly monster."

Lucifer could only stare down at her. So many emotions were racing through him; shock, awe, wonder, hope… His heart almost burst at her words.

There were tears beginning to form in his eyes as he asked, "You're not afraid of me?"

She buried her face into his chest. "I was a little bit. At first. But you just surprised me. I was even more scared of the bad man with the gun." Instinctively she curled into him. "Is he gonna hurt me again?"

Lucifer's arms encircled around her like a protective barrier, shielding her from her own fear and whatever else in the world that dared to harm her. "No. I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever again."

He kept her in his arms as he climbed to his feet and began walking, wanting to get her out and away from the warehouse as quickly as possible. She sank deeper into his embrace, accepting the safety that he provided, and Lucifer couldn't understand why. _After everything I've done… She's seen my true face, and yet, she accepts me. I don't deserve this_.

She was the light that banished away the darkness brought with his despair. She and her mother both.

His very own Morning Star.

He barely made it a few paces before he felt… _something_. Not pain, perhaps, but it was _something_ , and as an immortal being who shouldn't feel much of anything, it made him pause. The sensation was coming from his back, and felt like something was trying to break out of his very skin, but in the nicest way.

When Lucifer realized that the feeling was coming from his scars, they began to sting a little – slightly more annoying than a bullet hitting him, but nothing serious – and he gasped at how sudden it was.

Trixie removed her head from where she'd made his chest her personal pillow, and looking up at him she asked, "What's wrong, Lucifer?"

"I appear to be feeling a…rather odd sensation, and it's coming from my back." Right after he finished talking, the stinging subsided and the sensation went away. And yet, he felt as though he'd been…

…reborn?

The child in his arms gazed over his shoulder, and she let out a gasp filled with wonder. "You really _are_ the Devil!"

Lucifer frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

"I read in a book that the Devil was an Angel once," Trixie explained. "Your name's Lucifer, which is the Devil's name, and now you have Angel wings, too!"

The Devil froze – and then he realized that the odd sensation hadn't gone away, only shrunk so that he barely noticed. It was the feeling he had ridden himself of five years previously, when he and Maze had landed on that beach and he'd ordered her to…

Very slowly he turned his head, and there they were.

A pair of white, magnificent wings. _His_ wings.

It was as if they'd never been burnt. Never been severed.

Trixie reached out a hand and touched the wing closest to her, and with a sound of awe she began to stroke the feathers with love and care. Lucifer let out a breath as his entire body relaxed under the child's gentle touch. With the exception of Maze cutting them off – and presumably when they'd been manhandled by the auctioneer after their theft – Lucifer couldn't remember the last time someone had touched his wings. Before his Fall, he was certain.

It was overwhelming. He, a Fallen Archangel of the Lord, was holding a mortal child in his arms, one who accepted him even after seeing his true face, and she was stroking his wings with loving care that he hadn't felt in eons.

What he felt was the same feeling that had consumed him a week before, when Chloe had barrelled into his arms and cried into his chest.

It felt like coming home.

He looked up when he heard footsteps approaching, but already knew who they belonged to so kept his wings spread out behind him.

Maze turned the corner and halted before them. At first her face filled with relief at the sight of Trixie unharmed, but then she noticed the wings and her eyes widened. "How…?"

"Don't ask." Lucifer shrugged. "They just…appeared."

Trixie turned from the wings and beamed at the demon. "Maze! Look! Lucifer's an Angel, and he has wings!"

Maze smiled. "Yeah. Looks like." She sent Lucifer a questioning glance; silently asking how and why Trixie knew Lucifer's true identity.

"She…saw my nastier side," the Devil admitted. "I didn't mean for her to see it, but…"

"She's taking it better than the Doctor did," said Maze in amazement. Like Lucifer, she'd never seen anyone take the revelation so well.

Trixie's head tilted inquisitively. "Maze, you said that Lucifer's been your friend forever. You talk weirdly like he does, and you can kick butt whenever you want to! Does that mean you're a friendly monster, too?"

For a moment, Maze was struck silent, and it was something Lucifer had rarely ever seen. He waited for the demon's reaction, and after more moments passed, she sighed. "Guess it can't hurt. You've seen it already." She shifted into her true form: half-human, half-demon, her face split down the middle.

The child's smile widened. "That's so cool! I thought it was only a mask!"

Maze looked relieved and gave her a shaky smile, before the demon half faded away and she returned her attention to Lucifer. "I called Decker. She's on her way here. So unless you wanna continue this game of show and tell…" She nodded to the wings.

Lucifer considered revealing his true identity to the Detective; her daughter had taken it well, so there was hope that she would, too. But he was reminded of Linda's reaction to his true form, along with the look on Chloe's face months before when he'd goaded her into shooting him, and he decided that it was better not to push his luck. It was a miracle in itself that Trixie hadn't rejected him.

So he tucked his wings away and they vanished from mortal eyes, before he carried Trixie towards the exit with Maze by his side.

When they arrived outside a dozen squad cars were waiting. Maze approached the lieutenant to explain the story – and would no doubt be paid a large finder's fee for her efforts, which the Devil felt was well and truly deserved – while Lucifer searched for Chloe.

She appeared moments later, pushing her way through the surrounding officers before sprinting towards them with a cry of relief.

Lucifer placed the child into her mother's arms, and then there was a lot of hugging and crying, with Chloe whispering over and over, "I've got you, baby. I've got you."

And then the Devil felt an arm snake around him as Chloe yanked him into the hug, them on the outside and Trixie in the middle, and she kept thanking him over and over while he didn't know what to do with himself. He eventually wrapped his arms around them both, and the feeling of _home_ increased tenfold, warming his heart and giving him hope.

He was a monster. There was no doubt about that. But perhaps the child was right: he was _her_ monster. _Their_ monster.

The reappearance of his wings had to mean something. But there would be time for that later, so he closed his eyes and bathed in the feeling of being close to two of the most important people in his life.


	2. Mighty Wings

**AN: By popular demand, more! Though I should probably make it clear now that this is gonna be less 'story' and more 'series of oneshots'. I have quite a few ideas beyond this one, so more will be coming. As for this one...well, after Trixie discovering the truth, Chloe is the next logical step.**

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If there was one thing Chloe Decker found amusing when it came to her partner, it was his utter bafflement around her daughter.

Each and every time Trixie ran to hug him, he would tense up in shock, his expression silently screaming, "Get it off me! Get it off me!" like she was a giant, hairy spider instead of an adorable eight-year-old girl. Lucifer was mostly always in control in any other situation, and to see him lose that control to a small child was incredibly satisfying, and always a bright spot in Chloe's day.

That changed after the kidnapping, when Lucifer became Trixie's hero.

He still jumped whenever she attacked him with a sudden hug. That part hadn't changed. But instead of trying to pry her off him or standing dead still until she let go on her own, he would smile and return the hug. One time he even lifted her into his arms and spun her around above his head while she squealed with laughter.

It shocked Chloe at first, that Lucifer's reactions towards her daughter had changed so drastically. But once she figured out that it was an aftereffect of the kidnapping – a result of something that had passed between the pair during the incident – the shock was replaced with affection at the endearing sight. Her heart swelled, watching Lucifer interact with her daughter; acting as though he was her second father.

Dan was of course wary of the new bond that had formed between their daughter and the eccentric club owner; he kept saying that Lucifer was a bad influence and could get Trixie hurt one day. The last point was a lie, because the rescue had made things abundantly clear that Lucifer would never let any harm come to Trixie, _ever_ , and as for the first point… Well, Trixie was a child, and would get into mischief even without the influence of Lucifer and Maze, and Chloe reasoned that so long as the mischief was harmless, there really was no harm in it. She'd been a mischievous child once, after all.

Really, Dan's arguments were just a cover up for his jealously at the unique bond that had formed between his daughter and Lucifer, and while Chloe could understand why, she felt that her ex-husband really had no one to blame but himself. He'd put work first before his daughter; hadn't made time for her over and over. As a result, Trixie's faith in him had been damaged, and she'd latched onto another father figure whom she could truly rely on – so when Dan finally came around and attempted to put in some actual effort, it was too late and his daughter was attached to someone else.

The jealousy was still unnecessary, she thought. Trixie still loved her father. And Chloe herself wasn't jealous of Maze, who had become equally attached to the girl. She didn't feel anything of the sort as she prepared Trixie's lunch for the day and listened to her daughter explain her plans for the evening; plans that involved the ninja bartender-turned-bounty hunter and a whole lot of sugar. Chloe had to work late, and Maze had offered to babysit.

It still baffled her how Maze could handle a sugar-high eight-year-old so well. Not that she was complaining; she and Dan combined had never been able to come close to containing a hyperactive Trixie like Maze could.

"Do you think I should pick out some movies I'd like to watch, and then let Maze choose which one?" Trixie asked. She was still in her pyjamas, her breakfast finished, and was finishing off a drawing she'd been working on all morning.

"It's up to you, Monkey." Chloe finished packing their used dishes into the dishwasher before picking up her half-empty coffee mug and walking behind her daughter. "What did you draw this time?"

"Me and Lucifer."

Chloe paused and could only stare at the picture. Her daughter was easy enough to make out, but Lucifer… He was wearing his usual suit, but instead of his dark hair and normal skin tone, his face and hands were red. Added to that, there was a large flame coming out of his head.

She suddenly found herself back in an old warehouse, gun held out in front of her and pointed at Lucifer as he stood over the young woman they had come to rescue (who had actually been behind her own kidnapping all along). And then her eyes were drawn to Lucifer's reflection in an old mirror, and for a moment his face shifted and was red like a burn with Hellfire in his eyes…

With a gasp Chloe pulled herself out of the memory and back into the moment. She looked down at the picture again and noticed, for the first time, that the drawing of Lucifer had been completed with a large pair of white, glossy wings on his back.

Just like the ones that had been stolen from him.

"That's Lucifer?" she asked her daughter, and was relieved when her voice didn't shake.

Trixie nodded. "He's the Devil. That's what he really looks like." She turned, and must have noticed the shock on Chloe's face, for she added, "It's OK, Mommy. He may _look_ scary, but Lucifer won't hurt us. He's a friendly monster."

 _Monster_. That was what Lucifer had called himself some weeks ago, when he'd been heavily drinking, flirting inappropriately, misbehaving more than usual, getting violent, standing in front of a sniper and begging to be shot…

Chloe took in a deep breath. She looked at the picture again, and so many dots were threatening to connect, but she wouldn't let them. She refused to go down that road, too scared of the answer that would be waiting for her. So she returned to the mindset that had made her throw away his blood sample, told her daughter to get dressed and ready for school, before turning away from the picture and preparing for a long day at work.

At the precinct, she did everything she could to distract herself from thoughts of Lucifer and the picture her daughter had drawn. It was easy once she focussed, though that had more to do with the fact that she was going through the paperwork on Perry Smith; arranging his trial in court, gathering more evidence, analysing his operation…

She was thankful that Lucifer found paperwork boring. It meant that he would be at his club instead of gracing her with his presence.

It was late afternoon when Maze called and explained that an urgent bounty hunting gig had popped up that she had to take, and when she explained just how dangerous her target was and what kind of things he did to children, Chloe let it slide. Maze wasn't Dan; she wouldn't blow off Trixie unless it was extremely urgent. And she doubted that Trixie would be too upset, because Maze had called Lucifer to babysit her instead, and while Chloe wasn't keen on seeing her friend, she appreciated him taking the time out of his day to watch Trixie until she got home.

By the time she was done for the day, she'd written off her daughter's drawing as a coincidence; the result of the typically active imagination of an eight-year-old.

It was dark when she arrived home, and the only light was coming from the TV. The DVD menu for _Beauty and the Beast_ lit up the room, with the classic song Chloe herself had adored as a child trickling out over the speakers. She dropped her keys onto the counter and took off her jacket.

She could just make out the top of Lucifer's head on the couch, and since he didn't turn nor say anything, she deduced that he'd fallen asleep, and no doubt Trixie was on his lap. Chloe smiled as she walked into the living room, searching for a blanket to cover them. As she walked around the armrest of the couch, a white light hit the side of her face, and she curiously turned towards the sleeping pair.

And froze.

Lucifer and Trixie were fast asleep, the eight-year-old curled up on his lap with her head resting on his chest, the sound of Lucifer's heartbeat soothing her into gentle dreams. But that was far from an unusual sight, and it had greeted Chloe many times since the kidnapping incident.

No, what stopped her in her tracks and turned her entire worldview on its head was the pair of white, mighty wings that covered the pair like a security blanket.

The wings she had seen at the auction months before were nothing compared to the magnificent beauty laid out before her, and no matter how hard she tried to rationalize what she was seeing, there was absolutely no way that they were fake.

And with that realization came the feeling of being hit by a truck.

Chloe stumbled back, but her eyes never left the wings nor their owner. _Lucifer…_ She didn't say it aloud, and yet she truly heard his name for the first time. Shivers uncontrollably trembled down her spine as all the dots – the ones she hadn't wanted to touch that morning – connected all on their own, and everything suddenly made sense.

 _Oh God…_ She covered her mouth, stopping herself from saying the words out loud, only for it to hit her that yes, _He_ was real too, and not only was her partner and best friend the freaking _Devil_ , but the Devil _actually existed_ , along with God and Heaven and Hell and Angels and Demons and _crap_ she was living with a friggin' _Demon from Hell_ …

But what truly terrified her was the sight that hadn't really changed, but had in so many ways: her baby girl was curled up in the arms and wings of _Satan himself_.

Every mothering instinct told her to rush forwards, rip her daughter from his arms and flee for her life, but the rational part of her brain told her not to be drastic, because such a move was bound to wake Lucifer, and if he knew that she knew…

She took in deep, shuddering breaths. _How could I let him get close to us? How…?_

Movement broke her from her thoughts, and she turned her attention back to the pair in time to see Trixie shift slightly. The girl blinked before she reached up and rubbed her eyes, and then blinked some more as her eyes focussed ahead. She caught sight of Chloe and smiled. "Hi, Mommy."

Chloe tried to stay calm and whispered, "Baby…could you come here…?"

Trixie frowned and prepared to move, but then she looked down and noticed Lucifer's wings still laying across her. She looked at Chloe and then back at the wings, the dots connecting in her mind. "Mommy, you don't have to be afraid."

The mother's heart almost broke. "Baby, please…"

"But I told you, Mommy," Trixie continued. "Lucifer is a friendly monster. He's my friend, and he's yours; don't you remember? He helps you at work, he cooks for us, he makes us smile and laugh, he saved you, he saved me, and he's always there and doing nice things for us. And that makes him a friendly monster, doesn't it?"

The pure innocence in her daughter's expression made Chloe take a step back. She glanced at her partner's sleeping face; so open and innocent and beautiful…

And suddenly everything he had done for them came rushing out of a floodgate in her mind, overwhelming her with warmth and happiness and feelings of _safety_ and _home_ …

The clearest memory in her mind was when Malcolm had kidnapped Trixie, and Lucifer had followed her and distracted him while she ran for cover, which ended with a bullet in his stomach and him bleeding out all over the floor…

He said he'd died, but got better. He, the Devil, had _died_ for her and her daughter.

In the end, it was what her gut told her – that the Lucifer she knew was nothing like the Lucifer she'd heard about – verses what everyone else said – that the Devil was pure evil and couldn't be trusted.

Her gut always won out. Because it was something she had come to trust; something that had proven to be reliable and true, time and time again. Like Lucifer himself, she realized with a smile.

He had her back. He never lied to her. And sure, he could be an annoying pain in the ass with no brain to mouth filter or any sort of self-control, but he was also kind and far more caring than he liked to admit.

 _And people always get stuff like this wrong. Especially in movies. Looks like they got the Devil wrong, too_.

Because he wasn't evil. She'd told him so, had meant every word of it – and she still did.

Her heartbeat slowed until it was back under control, and her breathing evened out. She tried to rub away the goosebumps on her arms as she said, "Yes, Monkey. You're right."

Trixie gave a triumphant smile, and Chloe couldn't help but laugh a little when she realized that her daughter was never going to let her hear the end of it.

The sound roused Lucifer from his slumber, and when his eyes opened and focussed, Chloe was the first person he saw. "Detective. You're back." He moved to sit up straighter, causing his wings to shift, and when he saw them it took seconds for it to register that they were on display.

His entire body language changed in an instant from open and warm to closed-off and insecure. He avoided eye contact with her, and in that moment, his actions over the past few weeks came back to her. Suddenly it all made sense, and it nearly broke her inside when she realized that he'd gone through all that pain without anyone to talk to.

 _He thinks he's a monster. And he can't talk to anyone about it because he's afraid of how people will react if he shows his true form. And the one person he opened up to…rejected him, confirming his fears_. Of course, since then Doctor Linda had come to terms with the revelation from what Chloe had heard, but her initial reaction must've been a large blow, one that would take time to recover from.

Determined to make things right, Chloe quickly sat next to him on the couch and sent him a reassuring glance. "Hey, it's OK. There's nothing to worry about. I had my freak out moment, but it's over now. You slept through it."

She almost laughed at how gobsmacked he looked, and then his eyebrows knotted together before he said, "I suppose that's a first."

"I'll admit," she continued, "that it'll take me a while to get used to…this." Her hands gestured to the wings. "But you're not gonna chase me away."

"And you won't chase me away, either!" Trixie announced proudly.

Lucifer looked unsure. "Are you certain, Detective? That you're not afraid?"

Deciding to switch tactics, Chloe rolled her eyes. "Why would I be afraid of you? I mean, come _on_. You have fluffy white _Angel wings_. How is that even remotely scary?"

She hoped that he picked up on her teasing tone, and knew it had worked when he smirked at her. "I know some tricks that can make you tremble – perhaps not in fear, but-"

"Hey." She slapped his arm. "Young ears present."

"Of course, Detective. We'll finish this discussion later." He wiggled his eyebrows, and she couldn't help but laugh at how natural it all felt; bantering with her partner again like nothing had changed, like she hadn't found out that he was literally the Devil himself…

Then her gaze turned to where her daughter was buried under the pile of white feathers, and she had the sudden urge to reach out and touch them. But she didn't want to without her friend's permission.

He seemed to sense her want, so said, "Go on."

Chloe met his gaze, and when he nodded, she looked back at the wings and slowly moved her hand towards them.

She touched the feathers and gasped at how unbelievably soft they were. "They're gorgeous," was all she could say, stroking them with gentle care, not wanting to mark or ruin them in any way.

"Thank you," was all Lucifer said in reply. He sounded overwhelmed, and when Chloe looked at his face she saw that his eyes were closed and his whole body looked relaxed – more relaxed than she'd ever seen him, actually.

Her attention returned to the wings. _How could he cut them off? How could he burn them? Wait…_ "I thought you cut them off and burnt them?" she asked.

"I did," he replied. "And yet here they are. Not sure how that happened, but there has to be a reason. Dear old Dad must have a plan – and like always, he's neglected to share it with me."

Chloe ignored the fact that when he referred to his Father, he was referring to _God_. Baby steps. She had to ease herself into the crazy, wonderful world that was Lucifer's life. And yet, she was looking forwards to it. "Well, I'm glad they're back."

It was then she noticed that Trixie's eyes were once again closed; she'd drifted back to sleep, nestled against Lucifer's chest with the wings around her. Chloe didn't have the heart to take her to her own room, and Lucifer didn't appear to mind letting the child use him as a pillow.

Without a word, Chloe got up and prepared herself for bed, too tired to do anything else for the rest of the night. Just when she was about to head into her room, having finished up in the bathroom, she saw that Lucifer had opened up a wing and was looking at her expectantly. There was no sly smirk; instead only a genuine smile, and a look of hope that she couldn't refuse.

And those wings were too inviting to resist.

So she settled herself on the couch and rested her head on his shoulder. His arm wrapped itself around her before his wing covered them, bathing her in softness and warmth that she'd never felt before in her life.

The house was silent until Lucifer spoke, his voice soft and filled with regret. "I wish I can promise that I'll never hurt you, Chloe. But no matter what I do, I always hurt the people closest to me."

Her hand found his and she squeezed it reassuringly. "Everyone makes mistakes, Lucifer. But I know you'll never hurt me, or Trixie."

"Because I'm a friendly monster?"

She smiled. "Yeah. You're _our_ friendly monster."


	3. Safe

**AN: So Dan's actually developing into a decent character this season (a far cry from the douche he was back in the first season). Still, he's bound to be concerned about the influence Lucifer and Maze have over his daughter...**

* * *

Lucifer had never laughed so hard in his life.

Dan was standing in the middle of the kitchen, covered head to toe in multi-coloured feathers, looking positively pissed. Trixie and Maze were sat at the breakfast bar, the former laughing just as hard as the Devil and the latter grinning at a job well done.

And it was. It certainly was.

Before he forgot, Lucifer quickly whipped out his phone and snapped a picture. "Does the station have a Facebook page? If it does, I'm definitely sharing this."

"You son of a…" Dan began, but quickly cut himself off at the reminder that his daughter was present. "You had something to do with this. I know you did."

"As much as I would love to take credit, I believe it belongs to Maze." Lucifer pointed to the demon still sat at the breakfast bar.

"Actually, the kid came up with it," said Maze. "I just set everything up. And put the prank into play." She held up her hand and Trixie gave her a high-five.

Lucifer grinned. "So how did you get the feathers to stick on?"

Before Maze could answer, Chloe walked through the front door that Lucifer had left open. "OK, I just need to grab some files, and then we can…" She trailed off at the sight of Dan.

 _Fun's already over_. Lucifer let out a sigh and waited for Chloe to start yelling…

But he was caught completely off-guard when instead, the Detective burst into hysterical laughter.

Lucifer was enthralled. He could hear nothing but Chloe's laughter; could look at no one but her. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard – and that was saying something, considering he'd heard the choirs of Heaven.

When he finally broke out of his trance, Maze was talking. "We thought you'd flip. Didn't expect _that_ reaction."

"I have a sense of humour," Chloe insisted.

Dan rolled his eyes. "I was hoping you'd be on my side with this, Chloe."

"Come on. You have to admit that this is funny. At least a little bit."

"It doesn't matter if it's funny or not. Trixie shouldn't be doing stuff like this."

It was Chloe's turn to roll her eyes. "Dan, it's a harmless prank, and she's just a kid."

"Agreed," said Lucifer. "Should I start calling you Detective Killjoy instead of Detective Douche? Or maybe it should be Detective Douche Killjoy? Consider changing your name and making it official."

Dan waved a hand in Lucifer's direction, as if he'd just made the argument for him. "Maybe today it's a harmless prank. But next thing you know, she'll be drinking. Smoking pot. Shop lifting."

Chloe gave him a look that just screamed 'really?' "Dan, that's blowing things way out of proportion."

He shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. But you know what kids are like. They can do pretty crazy things because their two best friends," He gestured again to Lucifer, and then nodded his head towards Maze, "said it was 'cool'."

The smile was gone from Trixie's face, and she looked close to crying. For that reason alone, Lucifer was tempted to make Dan's day even worse.

"You listen to me, Daniel," he began, all humour gone from his voice. "Now I know that Maze and I are not exactly the most well-behaved people, nor are we the best role models. But we would never do anything that would endanger your offspring, nor would we tell her to do anything that would get her into serious trouble."

He was marginally impressed when Dan didn't back down. "You may not mean to, but these things can escalate. Now you need to take me seriously-"

"A tad hard to do with you looking like a paradise bird."

Dan's eyes screwed shut, and his fist clenched as he kept his anger under control. He took in a deep breath and let it out, before continuing from where Lucifer had cut him off, "…when I say that I'm concerned about the influence you and your ninja sidekick have over my daughter."

"Sidekick?!" Maze looked ready to tear the Douche's head off.

Chloe strode forwards and stood between her best friend and her ex-husband. "Guys, please. Dan, we talked about this."

"I'm sorry, Chloe. I can't ignore this anymore." His eyes narrowed at Lucifer. "You may be helpful on cases. You may be half of alright sometimes. But I want you to stay away from my daughter, because at the end of the day, you live up to your name in one way: You make people do bad things."

All Lucifer saw was red, and in seconds he had Dan by the neck and was pinning him up against the wall. He ignored Chloe's cry of shock. He ignored Maze as she covered Trixie's eyes, shielding the child from what was about to happen. His focus was on Dan, and he made sure that the man saw the raging Hellfire in his eyes, letting him know that he'd pissed off the wrong deity.

"I have _never_ made _anyone_ do _anything_! _**Ever**_! And you call _me_ a bad influence?! Who _never_ made time for his family because his _job_ was supposedly more important?! Who _caused_ Palmetto?! Who _lied_ to his wife for _months_ , driving her _crazy_ and turning her in _hopeless circles_?! The choices are on _you_ – and you have no one to blame but _yourself_!"

"Lucifer!" The Devil felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he turned to see Chloe by his side, unafraid of the fire in his eyes. "Put him down. Please."

Her touch, her voice, the sight of her before him… Her very presence soothed him, extinguishing the fire that raged within. He changed his eyes back to their more human colour before letting Dan go, allowing him to drop to the floor. The man gasped for breath while staring up at Lucifer with wide, fearful eyes.

And that look made Lucifer realize the weight of what he'd just done.

At least with the women – Linda, Trixie and Chloe – there had been some hope that they would understand. That they wouldn't run from him; hate him. But with all of their differences, despite their recent understanding, Lucifer knew that Dan would never accept him. He wondered why that bothered him more than it should.

Dan pointed a shaky finger at him. "You're…you're actually…the…the actual…"

"Devil, yes," said Lucifer, trying to play it casual; as though he didn't care. "I only told you about five hundred times."

The man's mouth kept opening and shutting without any sound coming out of it, and Lucifer refrained from commenting on his likeliness to a fish. He knew it wasn't the time nor place.

Chloe stepped forwards and helped Dan to his feet. "OK…why don't I help you…de-feather…and then we can…talk about this?"

Dan looked between Chloe and Lucifer, eyes still wide in shock, before he wordlessly nodded. Chloe then led him into the bathroom, and all Lucifer could do was watch them go.

After the door shut, silenced followed.

Until Maze spoke up. "You know, you should really be more careful about who you reveal your face to." When he narrowed his eyes at her, she just shrugged. "Don't look at me like that. It's your own fault."

Lucifer closed his eyes and sighed. "I know."

"Lucifer?"

The Devil looked to Maze's right and saw that Trixie was still present. She was buried in the demon's side, and looked upset. Lucifer felt a pang of guilt when he realized that he'd basically attacked her father in front of her, for really no good reason whatsoever. The bond between father and daughter was damaged, but that didn't mean it was broken; Trixie still loved her father, and he'd…

"Beatrice, I am so sorry," he told her sincerely. "I…I didn't think about… I was just so angry, and…"

Trixie slid down from her stool before she hurried over to Lucifer and flung her arms around his waist. "It's OK, Lucifer. People do things and say things that they don't mean when they're angry. And Daddy said some mean things to you. He was just…being mean."

"He was angry," said Lucifer as he returned the hug. "So I suppose he didn't mean any of it."

The child hummed in agreement, and Lucifer bent down before picking her up, holding her in his arms. Chloe had told him to stop doing it, saying that Trixie was getting too old and heavy to be picked up. But Lucifer was strong, and he needed the comfort to chase away his warring emotions; anger, regret, loss…

He and Dan had only recently become friends of sorts – his only male friend outside of his brother – and to lose that friendship so soon…

From behind the bathroom door, he could just make out what Chloe and Dan were saying. An argument had started between them.

" _He's the_ _ **Devil**_ _! The actual, freaking_ _ **Devil**_ _! You are_ _ **way**_ _too calm about this, Chloe!"_

" _Because I already knew."_

" _You_ _ **knew**_ _?! And you let Trixie around him?! You let him stick around?!"_

" _Yes. He may be the Devil, Dan, but the movies and the freaking Bible got it wrong. The Lucifer we know is who the Devil really is. He's not evil."_

" _He's not…?! Seriously, Chloe, listen to what you're saying! This…_ _ **thing**_ _is in your house, and you're sharing it with his… Holy shit, you're living with a_ _ **demon**_ _!"_

" _Dan, please stop talking about my friends like they're disgusting creatures, otherwise I'm gonna have to punch you."_

Lucifer smiled, content in the knowledge that his Chloe was defending him (and Maze) in the face of her ex…and then he wondered when he had started referring to her as _his_ Chloe…

He absentmindedly turned away from the bathroom door, so didn't see it open again. He did, however, hear two sets of footsteps, which then paused after only a moment.

Dan's voice, cool but laced with anger, was what he heard next. "Put my daughter down. Now."

Not wanting to argue, Lucifer gently lowered Trixie to the floor, and only then did he turn. The feathers were mostly gone, apart from a few that were dotted in various places. Dan was glaring at him with both determination and fear, and Lucifer had to give him points for bravery; standing tall while facing the Devil. Not many mortals could make that same claim.

Chloe was stood behind him, and looked ready to jump in should things get out of hand. "Dan… Why can't you just listen to me?"

Her ex ignored her and kept his eyes trained on Lucifer. "Trixie, honey…come here." He held out a hand towards the child.

But Trixie didn't move. "No."

Dan finally tore his gaze from the Devil and looked down at his daughter. "Trixie, you don't understand-"

"Yes I do," she said, sounding certain and sure. "You want to hurt Lucifer, but I won't let you. He's my friend, and he may be a monster, but he's a friendly monster. He won't hurt us, ever."

Lucifer felt his heart expanding at her words, but he didn't drop his guard; he kept his attention on Dan should he try anything.

The fear in Dan's eyes became more visible as his extended hand shook a little. "Monkey, please…" But Trixie shook her head.

"Dan…" Chloe approached her ex and went to lay a hand on his shoulder, but suddenly he surged forwards in a desperate attempt to get to their daughter. "Wait, Dan!"

She tried to grab him, but Lucifer was faster. He knew that a potential struggle would hurt Trixie, so did the first thing that came to mind.

He revealed his wings, and brought one around his front to shield Trixie from Dan. The appearance of the wings alone stopped Dan in his tracks, and the man's eyes widened further at the sight of the divinity before him.

"Holy shit…" He stumbled back, and Chloe was able to catch him before he fell.

Lucifer felt Maze get up and join him by his side, and they stood as a united front. "I'm sorry, Daniel," the former apologized. "She _is_ your daughter, but she could have been hurt if a struggle occurred. Perhaps you should calm down before doing anything rash, hmm?"

Dan stared at the wings. Long and hard, with many emotions crossing his face; shock, fear, amazement, awe, confusion…

And then, without warning, he fell to the floor and broke into fits of laughter.

Chloe took several steps back, uncertain what to make of her ex-husband's sudden outburst. Maze just exchanged a confused look with everyone. Trixie frowned and stared down at her father with her head titled in puzzlement. And Lucifer's eyes widened slightly in worry.

"Err…" Maze slowly shook her head. "This is…"

"Something that _can_ happen?" Chloe asked hopefully.

"He's cracked," said Lucifer finally. "Gone completely insane. Divinity can do that to a mortal. Doctor Linda wasn't as bad as this…"

Chloe turned her gaze to him. "So, what? Am I gonna have to send him to a mental asylum, or something?"

"You…you…" They all turned their attention back to Dan. He was trying to speak. "You have wings!" He continued laughing.

Lucifer's worry left him, and annoyance replaced it. "Yes, Daniel. I have wings. We can all clearly see them."

Dan shook his head. "You…you hypocrite! You…you laughed at me…because I had feathers…while you…have feathered wings! Pott calling the kettle black, much?" And the laughter continued.

Maze frowned. "I never understood that saying."

The Devil just sighed in frustration. "Detective, could you please remove your ex-douche from the floor and store him someplace safe until he calms down from his fit of insanity?"

Chloe bent down to grab Dan's arm, and with Maze's help, they moved him over to the couch in the living room. Lucifer was about to put his wings away – probably for the best, at least until Dan could calm down – but then he noticed Trixie clinging to one for dear life, so kept them out for her sake. The soft feathers always managed to soothe her, and her mother – just like the presence of them both soothed him.

It took a few more minutes, but eventually Dan finally calmed down. He took in several deep breaths and wiped away the tears that had spilled during the laughing fit. Then his gaze turned to Lucifer, and while there was wariness in his eyes – which was entirely natural – the anger and fear was gone. "I…really needed that."

"I must say, that's the first time I've ever had someone react to my wings with 'fits of uncontrollable laughter'. One for the record books, I'm sure," said Lucifer.

Dan didn't break his gaze. "So…you're the Devil."

Lucifer nodded slowly. "Yes. We've already established this, I believe."

"I know. I'm just…trying to get used to it." His gaze turned to Trixie, who was still clinging to Lucifer's wing like it was her security blanket.

Knowing what the man was thinking, Lucifer said, "Daniel, I can assure you that I mean no ill will to your family. They're _safe_. Probably safer than they have ever been, in fact."

Dan stared at him, and Lucifer held his gaze; hoping that the sincerity of his words was visible in his eyes.

Finally, Dan nodded. "Yeah. I think you mean that." He looked away, shaking his head. "Man, am I gonna need a whole lot of therapy for this."

"Ooh, may I suggest Doctor Linda?" Lucifer said. "Brilliant therapist, _and_ she went through the exact same revelation as you! It's perfect!" Unable to resist, he added, "And maybe she can help you find a less boring personality. You know, something to liven you up a bit. Make you more interesting."

The man sighed in annoyance. "And you're _still_ an ass."

"Dan!" Chloe slapped his arm. "Trixie's still here."

"Hey! Your guardian devil taught her the word 'hooker'!"

Trixie beamed. "He did! But no one will tell me what it means." Maze's eyebrow rose as she watched in amused silence.

Lucifer chuckled, but inside, he was relieved.


	4. Burning Bush

**AN: Thanks again for reading. This one was inspired by last week's episode. I think Lucifer and Ella could potentially have a cute platonic sibling relationship (I can't see them as a romantic couple, sorry).**

* * *

"LAPD! Stay on the ground, and put your hands behind your head." The words flowed from Chloe's mouth automatically as she levelled the gun at the trembling man on the floor of the abandoned church.

But she knew there was going to be no response from the man. If he'd seen Lucifer's face…

There was no doubt that he had when Chloe took the scene in. Patrick Lopez was muttering the Devil's name over and over in a state of insanity. The body of Nolan Marshall was lying a short distance away with a gunshot wound to the head. Lucifer was standing off to the side, a lit cigarette in his mouth as he avoided eye contact with everyone.

And Ella was leaning against the wall, taking in deep breaths, eyes wide, skin ghost white. At which point Chloe realized that the young woman's father hadn't been the only one to see the Devil's true face.

She wondered if Lucifer was slipping in his old age. After all, he'd revealed his identity repeatedly in the space of a few weeks; Linda, Trixie, herself, Dan…

 _He's gonna out himself to the whole damn world at this rate_ , Chloe thought. Though all things considered, Ella was possibly the best person he could've revealed himself to.

Seeing the forensic scientist safe, if shaken up, sent a wave of relief through Chloe as she and Dan hauled the young woman's father to his feet in order to arrest him.

It had been a long day. The normalcy that had become Chloe's life – arriving at the precinct after dropping Trixie off at school, Lucifer arriving shortly afterwards and sitting on her desk, pestering her and bantering with her before turning his attentions on Dan when he arrived – was shattered when Ella didn't turn up for work. It led to Lucifer and Chloe stopping by her place for answers, whereupon they'd discovered her apartment a mess with clear signs of a struggle.

A forensics report showed no fingerprints anywhere other than Ella's, so they were forced to dig deeper before eventually discovering a restraining order that Ella had filed against a young man named Nolan Marshall.

Ella's ex-boyfriend, Chloe recalled. The younger woman had mentioned him briefly during their girls' night out – and as luck would have it, he just so happened to be in LA for unspecified reasons.

It took them less than an hour to track Nolan down.

After uncovering several offences he'd committed that included drug dealing, theft and violence, Chloe was ready to arrest him on the spot despite his claims that he'd "gone straight". But then Lucifer performed his weird hypnotic mojo (and Chloe was still calling it that despite knowing that it was just another ability of the Devil) on Nolan and got him to reveal his true desire: to protect Ella from her father.

Patrick Lopez was the reason Ella moved away from home to begin with. He disapproved of her choice of career and felt that she'd "turned her back on God". Nolan had heard that Patrick was going to take Ella home by force, and had come to warn her.

When they discovered the place where Patrick would most likely take Ella – an old abandoned church located in the rougher part of LA – until he got her out of the city, Lucifer had persuaded Chloe to let him go alone.

"Her ex-roach is certain that the insane dad has a gun," he'd said. "I'd prefer to be bullet proof."

Chloe understood. Lucifer had told her about his vulnerability issue whenever she was around, and if Patrick did indeed have a gun, well, she didn't want him dying on her (again!) if a shootout occurred. "Then take Dan with you."

"No. I've seen men like this. There's a high chance he could shoot Miss Lopez and himself before the police even managed to storm the building."

So she let him go alone, though he also took Nolan, who was desperate to help Ella in any way he could.

Looking down at the young man's body, Chloe realized that he'd kept his promise. He had managed to protect Ella – and had done so with his life.

After handing Patrick over to another cop, Dan walked over to Ella, leaving Chloe to approach her friend. It was occurring to her that the church they were occupying was the very same church where he'd killed his brother, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through. He was brave to even come at all.

"Hey." She gently touched his arm. "You OK?"

Lucifer dropped his cigarette and stamped it out. "I killed him here. In one of our Father's many houses. I could have killed him anywhere…but no. It had to be here, in some sick and twisted sense of irony. Like…like He planned it all along. I want Him to smite me down. I want Him to punish me; send me some kind of retribution. But instead… Nothing. It's like He doesn't even _care_ that one of His sons is dead, killed by another son. Do you know the story of Cain and Abel, Detective?"

"Yeah." She'd done plenty of research after discovering his true identity – though constantly wondered how much of it was true. She didn't want to ask Lucifer and bombard him with too many questions.

The Devil glanced over at where Nolan's body was being wheeled away. "And now someone else died – because of _me_."

"No." Chloe shook her head and reached out a hand, using it to turn Lucifer's gaze back on her. "That wasn't your fault. Nolan chose to come with you. And Patrick was the one who shot him. That isn't your fault. Besides…" She nodded her head over to Ella. "She's alive and safe, thanks to you."

"But I doubt she'll ever speak to me again," said Lucifer. "She saw…what I really am."

"Yes," said Chloe. "And so did Linda. So did Dan. So did Trixie. And so did I. Yet we're all still here for you. Just give her time."

Dan walked over to join them before anymore could be said. "Well, you apparently gave Daddy Lopez a serious mind-fuck," he said to Lucifer. "Not that anyone cares. Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy."

"What about Ella?" Chloe asked warily.

"You should probably go talk to her," was all Dan said before continuing on out of the church.

Chloe didn't want to leave Lucifer, but then he turned and followed Dan without a word. She wanted to go after him – be there for him through his reawakened guilt – but Ella was her friend too, and no doubt had many, _many_ questions. So with a sigh, Chloe turned and approached the younger woman.

"Ella?" she began, trying to get the young scientist's attention. Ella didn't respond; her eyes were still wide and she was staring at nothing. Chloe had to wave a hand in front of her face to finally snap her out of the thousand-yard stare. She gasped and almost fell, but Chloe managed to catch her. "Hey, it's OK. It's just me. You're safe now. We arrested your dad."

Ella wordlessly nodded, and Chloe could tell that she wasn't thinking about her insane father. "He… Lucifer…"

"He's not a method actor," Chloe said helpfully – while knowing that it was probably the _least_ helpful thing to say.

"Yeah, I got that," said Ella. "He… He came in quietly…and he tried to talk my dad down while Nolan snuck around the side to get to me. But Dad… He…he tried to shoot me. Wanted us to be together in Heaven, and… He pulled the trigger, but Nolan jumped in the way, and… That's when Lucifer lost it."

"Not surprising." Lucifer seemed to like people who had a chance to turn their life around – so it would be no surprise he'd get pissed if that second chance was taken away from them.

"Suddenly Lucifer was _there_ in front of me," Ella continued, "and Dad shot him. But…when he stumbled back and I looked for his wound…there was _nothing_. Not even a _hole_ in his shirt. Then there was a flash of white light, and I looked up, and I saw… Chloe, they were beautiful and scary all at once… And that's…that's when I realized…"

She trailed off, but Chloe could guess the rest; Lucifer put the fear of Hell into Patrick while also revealing to Ella that everything she believed in was real. And that she worked with the _actual_ Devil.

"I know this is a lot to take in," said Chloe.

"So you know."

"I haven't known for very long," Chloe admitted. "Dan knows, too. And Lucifer's therapist does; Doctor Linda. And so does Trixie."

"And Maze?" Before Chloe could answer, Ella continued with, "Wait, she said that she was "forged in the bowels of Hell" on girls' night. She's a…demon?"

Chloe nodded. "Like I said; a lot to take in. But… Ella, Lucifer is still the Lucifer we know. He's not evil. He's not here to hurt any of us, despite what everyone says about him. Which you probably know, considering your faith…"

"Actually I've always thought the Devil gets a bad rep," Ella stated. "I said that to Lucifer on my first day. He…seemed to appreciate the sentiment…and now I know why…" She sighed. "I can't believe I called him a method actor. What must he think of me?"

"He likes you," said Chloe. "There's not many people he likes. And he did go to you about Azrael's blade, so…"

"Wait…" Ella frowned. "The blade that belongs to the Angel of Death?" Her eyes widened. " _That_ was the blade being used to kill all those yoga people? That's…"

"Messed up?"

She nodded. "No wonder he wanted to be discreet about it."

Chloe tilted her head as she considered the younger woman. "You're actually taking all this pretty well."

"Well, I do believe in it all. Sort of," Ella replied. "I mean, before it was just about having faith without proof, and doubting certain things in order to believe, but now… I have a lot of questions, is all I can say. Would he be offended if I ask him…questions?"

"He got annoyed when Linda kept asking him about what he did in Hell, but I think that was more to do with the fact that his sessions with her were supposed to be about helping _him_ instead of her," Chloe explained. "He didn't mind when I was asking him."

Ella smirked. "I think he didn't mind because _you_ were the one asking him."

Chloe frowned, uncertain how to respond. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you haven't figured it out by now, I can't help you." Ella shrugged. "So where did the Big D himself go?"

The pair wandered outside to find him, only to be told by Dan that he was already gone, most likely back to Lux. Chloe didn't know if she should give him some time to himself – being in the church again had clearly given him some nasty flashbacks to the night he killed Uriel – but decided that he would need the company, and the assurance that Ella wasn't running from him.

He needed to know that he hadn't lost a friend.

On the way to Lux, Chloe told Ella about the case with the priest.

"So the Devil became friends with a priest?" Ella was smiling a little at the thought.

Chloe nodded, smiling too. "I called it absurdly adorable." She sighed, unable to stop herself from recalling the sight of the man dying in Lucifer's arms, and then Lucifer nearly killing the shooter in a fit of rage unlike any she'd ever seen. "He didn't deserve to die in the way he did. Lucifer needs friends, after everything he's been through. And Frank… He _knew_ who Lucifer was, and I think he wanted to help."

"Then maybe I can help," said Ella. "Ever since I met him, I've had this sense that he's…lost, in a spiritual way. That's why I brought him to church with me…and only now am I realizing that I brought the _Devil_ to church…"

They both laughed, and shortly afterwards they arrived at Lux.

One elevator ride later found them in Lucifer's apartment. The Devil himself was sat at his piano like he usually was, glass in his hand, blazer removed and his shirt sleeves rolled up. His hair was beginning to curl in that adorable way it did at the end of a long day's work…and Chloe wondered when she started using the word 'adorable' when describing Lucifer…

He turned his gaze towards them, and appeared startled to see them both. Or startled to see Ella, at least. "Detective, Miss Lopez. This is…unexpected."

"Unexpected…how?" asked Chloe. "Unexpected that a friend would come and check on you after what happened?"

"I'm not referring to you, Detective." Lucifer warily glanced at Ella. "I should tell you in advanced that I'm not a vampire, so holding out a cross or splashing Holy water on me won't work. I had a nun throw an entire bucket full over me once. It almost ruined my best suit."

Ella gave a short snort of laughter before giving him a sympathetic glance. "You're being _so_ overly dramatic. Why do you think I'm gonna freak out about this? I mean, yeah, it was a bit of a shock at first…"

"A man once jumped to his death after merely a peek at my wings. And the reaction to my true face is usually grown men wetting their pants in fear before being reduced to weepy piles of messes on the floor," said Lucifer. "Even revealing my face in a nice, calm manner to a friend can break them. Doctor Linda was a slight untethered for almost two weeks after I showed her."

"Dude, I told you before," said Ella. "I grew up in Detroit. If that didn't mess me up for good, I doubt anything else will."

"And Linda's fine now, right?" Chloe pointed out. "Any normal, sane human being would have a _little_ bit of a freak out, Lucifer. I did. Dan did."

"I highly doubt his hysterical laughter can be considered 'little', Detective."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Look, why don't you and Ella have a little chat while I go clean up a bit in the bathroom. OK?"

Lucifer looked uncertain, but he nodded, and Chloe had faith that Ella would assure him that all was well. She left them to it, disappearing into the bathroom – but she'd been gone for less than a minute before she felt something in her chest. A slight burning sensation, like she was being slowly but gently suffocated.

She'd felt it a week before – when she'd caught Lucifer and Ella together, both times (the whispering and then the hugging), and then when Ella had been demonstrating what had happened with the 'full yoga massacre' and had put Lucifer in all those positions…

 _I'm not jealous_. She bit her lip and refused to believe that Dan's words were true. _Definitely not. I mean, Lucifer said that he and Ella were only working, which I knew they were, and he insisted that they weren't sleeping together, and he doesn't lie, and he always announces to the whole world who he sleeps with, so it's not like he'd keep it a secret, meaning there's nothing to be jealous about…_

Her eyes widened when she realized that, in assuring herself that there was nothing to be jealous about, she'd just admitted to herself that she _had_ been jealous. And the feeling _had_ immediately vanished when Lucifer assured her that nothing was happening…

 _And I'm gonna stop thinking about this. Like, yesterday_.

Despite knowing that Lucifer and Ella would be nowhere near done talking, Chloe left the bathroom. She assured herself that she _wasn't_ going to make sure they weren't doing anything inappropriate.

They were still talking, and Chloe paused on the threshold to watch them. She didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she couldn't help it.

"You wanted to get out of his shadow," Lucifer was saying. "Have free will. Make your own choices. There's nothing wrong with that. He was in the wrong, and you shouldn't blame yourself for wanting to…well, rebel."

"I didn't have a reason to stay when my last brother left. I just needed to get away from him, you know?" said Ella. "He was destroying my faith in God by being, well, one of those religious extremists people love to hate. I did the rebellion thing; stole cars, dated Nolan… Anything to distance myself from him. I didn't find my faith again until I went to college. I realized that in distancing myself from my dad and trying to be the opposite of what he was, I was forcing myself to be someone who just wasn't…me. Despite all the bad, like my dad and Catholic school, there was a whole lot of good that came from my faith. It's like I said before; I've found out a lot about myself and life since I developed a relationship with…well, your dad, I guess."

"If you're trying to convince me to go to church again, I'll like to decline now," said Lucifer. "I doubt I'll ever be able to have any kind of relationship with my dad again. Your rebellion against your father may have worked out, but mine certainly didn't, as you know."

Ella's head titled slightly out of curiosity. "I don't get that. Everyone thinks that what you did was unforgivable, but I don't think so. I mean, it's just a typical teenage rebellion. Why's that so bad?"

"My Father has a tendency to overreact. Any other questions?"

"Was the Burning Bush really you?"

"Yes. Long story."

Chloe couldn't help but smile at the pair. They reminded her of a brother and sister who hadn't seen each other in years and were catching up. That thought set her heart at ease.

She wondered what that meant.


	5. Protector

**AN: This story was already in AU territory, but I'm going to be ignoring the recent episode (despite how amazing it was) because it conflicts with this chapter and the next. Though it did give me plenty of inspiration... Anyway, this chapter was based on a story I heard about a not very nice teacher...and how a parent reacted to said teacher.**

* * *

When Lucifer walked through the front door of Maze and Chloe's apartment and saw Trixie bawling her eyes out into her mother's chest, he knew that by the end of the day, an unfortunate soul would be wishing they were dead.

"Who am I turning into mincemeat?" he asked, keeping his voice even. He didn't want to upset Trixie even further by unleashing his anger in front of her.

Trixie continued to cry into Chloe while Lucifer sat down beside them on the couch. The sudden shift and dip caught the little girl's attention, and she looked up at Lucifer with tear-filled eyes. The Devil's heart broke at the sight of her.

"Lucifer…" She hiccupped and used her sleeve to try and wipe away her tears.

"Come here." Lucifer opened his arms and let her bury her face into his shirt. He brought his arms around her gently, and then for extra measure, he opened up his wings and wrapped them around her, too.

"Thank you," said Chloe. Lucifer only nodded in reply.

Silence settled over them, which lasted until Lucifer was certain that Trixie had fallen asleep. He signalled quietly to the Detective before putting away his wings and rising with the child in his arms. With Chloe behind him, Lucifer carried Trixie into her room and gently laid her upon the bed. He then stepped aside so Chloe could tuck her in; the Detective placed a light kiss upon her daughter's forehead before she and the Devil left the room.

Lucifer continued his effort to not let his rage take over, but couldn't hide the slight snarl in his voice when he said, "Who do I have to punish, Detective?"

He expected her to give him the name of a child; yet another bully for him to scare into guilt like with the first. But instead, Chloe caught him off guard with her reply. "Trixie's teacher."

It wasn't unfamiliar. The Devil had encountered teachers before in Hell; ones who treated their students terribly. So Chloe's words weren't that much of a surprise. What fuelled his rage was the fact that the teacher had upset Trixie.

And he wasn't about to let such an unforgivable sin go unpunished.

"Name?" he asked, keeping his rage in check.

"Zarina Harvey," Chloe replied. "It's been going on for a while now, but not just with Trixie; she bullies the other students, as well. Calls them stupid. Yells at them for no reason. And today… Trixie's desk was a little untidy, which she was about to clean up, but Ms. Harvey upturned the entire thing and told Trixie to clean up her stuff from the floor."

The anger within Lucifer was threatening to overflow, and he was having a hard time keeping it in. "Why has she not been punished? How does she still have a job?"

"Parents and other teachers have all complained," said Chloe. "But her father, Terrance Harvey, is pretty high up on the school board. Whenever there's an investigation against her, he either cancels it or conducts the investigation himself."

Lucifer gritted his teeth. _Corruption. Why do humans fall into it so easily?_ "Well, can't you do anything about it, Detective?"

"The police can't get involved unless a student had been physically threatened," Chloe explained.

"I think overturning a desk counts as a physical threat!" Lucifer's words came out as a hiss. He didn't want to yell and wake Trixie. "And if no one else will do anything about it, I'll sort it out myself."

He strode towards the front door, and only stopped when Chloe grabbed his arm. "Lucifer…"

"Are you going to stop me, Detective?" he asked, fixing his gaze on her. He knew his eyes were burning red, but for once he didn't care; he knew she could handle them. "This is your offspring. Are you really going to try and prevent justice from being served?"

Her look of determination surprised him. "What I was going to say was: As a cop, I can't condone this. But as a mother, Ms. Harvey is in room twenty, and she always stays after school until six."

Lucifer smirked as the red in his eyes faded away. "That's more like it, Detective."

It didn't take him long to drive over to the school. There were no students around, which relieved him, and very few teachers. He supposed that was why he was able to walk into the building so easily (but he still made a mental note to tell Chloe about the school's lack of security).

He found room twenty with ease, and walked right in without knocking. "Hello? Mean teacher?"

Ms. Harvey was sat at her desk, and looked up when Lucifer entered. He pegged her as the same age as Doctor Linda, possibly older. Though unlike the good doctor, the teacher was tall with icy grey eyes and brown hair ( _brown like a turd_ , Lucifer thought to himself with an inward snicker) that was tied neatly in a bun. Her shirt and skirt were both grey; lifeless and dull.

She looked very prim and proper; far too boring for his liking.

When Lucifer closed the door behind him, the teacher rose from her desk. "I'm sorry, but I only see parents by appointment."

"Oh, I'm not a parent," said Lucifer. "But I _am_ here on behalf of one – of sorts anyway, since I'm here on my own behalf, as well. I'm a friend of Chloe Decker, Beatrice's mother."

Recognition crossed Ms. Harvey's face. "Ah. I see. If you're here about the incident that occurred today-"

"You mean when you upturned her desk because it was a little bit untidy?"

"I did no such thing," said the teacher. "Trixie upturned the desk herself when I kindly asked her to clean up her own mess."

Lucifer kept his calm façade, not wanting to tip the teacher off too soon just how much trouble she was in. "How many times did you have to practise in the mirror before you managed to nail that lie without twitching?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You believe a child's word over mine?"

"Just because she's a child doesn't mean your words hold more value over hers. It doesn't take away the credibility of her words," said Lucifer. "And in my experience, children can't fake tears, at least not the amount she was crying when I saw her. You upset her, and you think that because you're an adult, you can actually get away with it."

"So what if I upset her?" said the teacher, walking around her desk in order to face Lucifer head on. "She's a brat. All children are. Everything I give them is what they deserve."

The Devil almost snapped. Almost. But he kept it in and said, "You don't get to make that decision. And even if you did, your judgement is laughably poor."

She scoffed. "Oh? So who _does_ make that decision? You?"

Lucifer chuckled. "Of course I do. My name is Lucifer Morningstar, and I'm here to give you _your_ punishment." Without another word he stepped forwards and, with one hand, upturned her desk. Paper and stationary was sent flying as the crash echoed around the room, and the Devil smirked at the teacher's wide eyes.

She was somewhere between shocked and angry, which amused him highly. "Who do you think you are?!" she yelled.

"Oh, I've told you my name," said Lucifer. "But perhaps a demonstration will clue you in?"

He made sure she was looking directly at him, and they he let her see the burning Hellfire in his eyes – along with the scarred remains of his true face.

Ms. Harvey let out a screech and fell against her upturned desk. "You…" Tears of fear streamed out of her eyes.

Lucifer smirked down at her. "Your application to Hell has been accepted. You start on the moment of your death. Now…clean up this mess, will you?" And without sparing her another glance, he turned and left the room, leaving the door open. In the hallway, he passed other teachers coming to investigate, and when they gave him questioning looks, all he said was, "Don't assist her. She's long beyond help."

He left the building, satisfied at a job well done.

The next day he heard from Chloe that not only had Ms. Harvey resigned, but she had confessed to everything she'd ever been accused of in the past, including incidents that had occurred at two other schools previously. Lucifer knew what she was doing; confessing her sins in order to make up for them with the hope of avoiding Hell. But unless she became a saint, there was no way for her to escape her fate.

 _If I was still in Hell, I'd have plenty of fun activities planned for her_.

When word got around that he was the one who scared away Ms. Harvey, Lucifer was invited to Parent-Teacher night. It was insisted upon by the many parents who wished to thank him.

That was how Lucifer found himself in a classroom surrounded by some very grateful mothers – most of them single, though there were a few wives among them, as well – who wanted nothing more than to fawn over him. And Lucifer was enjoying himself immensely.

"One at a time, ladies," he told the giggling women with a smile. "There's plenty of me to go around. Though I should warn you all that I'm like chocolate and sex combined: irresistible and highly addictive."

Though he was getting far more enjoyment out of the look on the Detective's face. The jealousy was obvious, despite her attempts to hide it; in fact, it was twice as noticeable as it had been when she thought he was sleeping with Ella.

 _This is definitely interesting. Perhaps the Detective isn't as immune to my charms as I thought_.

Dan had noticed as well, and judging by the way he kept trying to hide his smirk, thought it was hilarious.

Silence suddenly fell over the room, and all eyes turned to the door. Lucifer followed everyone's gaze and saw a man standing on the threshold; he was old, judging by the grey hair, and light reflected off of the bald patch on his head. His entire suit was made of tweed, and behind his glasses were a familiar pair of icy grey eyes.

 _Must be the father_ , Lucifer realized.

"Lucifer Morningstar, I presume?" said Terrance Harvey. His gaze was fixed firmly on Lucifer, as if the Devil was the only one in the room.

"Yes, that's me." Lucifer turned to his new fan club. "Excuse me, ladies. I have a second Harvey to take care of."

He followed the man out of the room and down the hall. Once they found an empty classroom and the door was shut, Terrance wasted no time in getting straight down to business. "What in God's name did you do to my daughter?"

"Nothing in His name. Don't give Him the credit," said Lucifer. "I did it in my own name – and on behalf of Chloe Decker, her offspring and all the other children your daughter was failing to educate."

"Now see here-"

"No, _you_ shut that ghastly little trap of yours and listen to _me_. I'll be the first to admit that children can be annoying and bothersome little creatures, but that's how they were designed to be. They're young, and they need guidance and protection from the adults around them. That is a teacher's job, to guide and protect them – and your daughter was failing to do that job spectacularly. Instead she was using her position to bully the children and make herself feel powerful – and with the knowledge that she couldn't be touched, thanks to you, she felt invincible. But that's not even the worst part. She was then lying about it; thinking she can get away with it since humans more often take an adult's word over a child's. And whenever she _did_ come under investigation, _you_ stepped in, told some lies of your own, and made sure she _did_ get away with it. You and your daughter are the kind of liars I can't stand. But it ends here. Making Beatrice Espinoza-Decker cry was one mistake too far – and now you're dealing with her protector."

Despite looking wary, the old man scoffed. "What are you, her guardian angel?"

Lucifer smirked. "More like her guardian devil."

And he showed Terrance exactly what he meant.

The man gasped and stumbled back against the wall, hand over his heart and eyes wide with terror. "Oh sweet Jesus."

"Sorry. Wrong deity." Lucifer's smirk widened.

At first Terrance was frozen in fear, but then he tried to make a break for it and run past. The Devil just revealed his wings and spread one out, using it to stop the man in his tracks.

"Please! Let me go! I'll do anything!"

"Good," said Lucifer. "You and your daughter will confess to everything you've done. You won't fight back when justice is served. If you have any other corrupt friends, you'll reveal them. If any of them object or fight back, just send them to me and I'll set them straight." He leaned in closer. "And before you think about taking some form of revenge, just remember…you're already going to Hell. The more sins you commit, the worse your eternal punishment will be. You want to escape? Turn your life around. Do some good for a change. Though judging by your age, it's probably too late for you." He took a step back. "I hope all of that is crystal clear."

Terrance gave a hurried nod, and satisfied, Lucifer retracted his wings. The man bolted to the door and was gone in seconds.

Lucifer decided to wait for a few minutes before venturing back to the classroom and the fan club waiting for him, and yet…he didn't feel like returning. The thought of being the centre of the attentions of a dozen women didn't tempt him like it usually would, and he couldn't understand why.

"Hey, Lucifer."

The Devil turned towards the door and found Chloe stood on the threshold. His mood instantly brightened up and he forgot all about the women waiting for him. "Detective. You'll be pleased to know that the destructive duo won't harm Beatrice nor any other child again."

He wasn't sure what happened, but one moment Chloe was smiling at him and then the next, her arms were around him and her head was buried against his chest.

"Thank you."

Warmth flooded through him, and he realized that embracing Chloe felt…a hundred times better than being surrounded by women.

He wondered what that meant.

That wondering led him to Doctor Linda's office once Parent-Teacher night was over. He was, after all, paying her to solves the many mysteries of his life.

"It was the strangest feeling," he explained once he was sat down in her office and had told her what happened. "All those lovely ladies waiting for me, and normally I would've leapt at the chance to go back to them. But I had no desire to do so whatsoever. The only thing I wanted to do was stay with the Detective."

Linda nodded. "It's perfectly natural to prefer spending time with a friend rather than strangers."

"Yes, I know that, Doctor," said Lucifer. "But this felt…different."

"Can you describe the feeling?"

The Devil sighed. "I suppose I could try, but it's rather…complicated to explain. Whenever I'm around her, my insides feel…warm, but not in the bad Hellfire way. It feels like there's something inside my chest that keeps expanding whenever she's around; like it's trying to burst out of me. And then when she's not there the feeling shrinks back down and I'm left feeling…almost empty."

"I see." Linda was smiling almost knowingly, and Lucifer couldn't figure out why. "You said in your last session that you told your mother that Earth is your home. Or more specifically, LA is your home. And you said that you felt like you belong here; that this place feels like home. Did you have that feeling before you met Chloe?"

Lucifer frowned, and after a moment of thought, he shook his head. "No. I just considered my time here to be an extended vacation that never ended. A retirement home, of sorts. But after I met the Detective, I…I found a purpose. I truly belong somewhere, and I'm happy about where I am."

"They say that home isn't a place," Linda explained. "It's a feeling. A feeling which you've just explained; happiness, belonging… And you can have that feeling in certain places…or around certain people. Instead of LA or Earth…maybe Chloe is your home."

The moment she said the words, Lucifer knew they were true – despite not having realized it himself until that moment. Everything he felt, every reason why he didn't want to return to Heaven with his family…

His sense of belonging… He didn't feel that way because of LA. He felt that way because of _Chloe_.

"What does this mean, Doctor?"

"I was hoping that you'd figure this out yourself, but…" She smiled. "Lucifer…it means you're in love with Chloe."


	6. The Reason

**AN: So I'm posting earlier than I normally would, but I love how this one turned out and couldn't wait to post it. Hopefully it'll make up for the fact that this was my last idea I had for the story, and currently don't have anymore. For that reason I'm marking the story as complete, but will update again if I have anymore ideas. This won't be the last you hear from me; I currently have three other story ideas I'm bouncing around, and I've already started writing one (though I probably won't start posting until it's either done or at least mostly done). Hope you all enjoy this last part, and I'll see you all soon!**

* * *

When Chloe arrived home early from work, she was met with the sight of Lucifer tickling Trixie. And he was using his wings to do so.

Trixie was laughing and trying to wriggle out of his grasp while Lucifer used the tips of his wings to tickle her feet. There was no escape for her – until she licked him. Lucifer recoiled and let out a noise of disgust, letting her go, but the girl barely made it a few steps before a great white wing scooped her up.

"Now that _definitely_ deserves punishment," said Lucifer, before he resumed tickling her.

Her daughter's laughter was like music to Chloe's ears, and she embraced wholeheartedly the wave of affection that overwhelmed her at the sight of her partner playing with her child. She wondered not for the first time how his family could shun him and doom him to an eternity of punishment – an eternity of being blamed for humanity's faults – when it was the last thing he deserved. Life wasn't fair, and she knew that better than anyone, but what had happened to her best friend took the meaning of the word 'unfair' to whole knew levels.

She probably stood watching them a little longer than she needed to.

Eventually Lucifer noticed her presence, and he halted his "punishment" and let Trixie go. "Detective, you're home early."

"Mommy!" Trixie ran to Chloe and tackled her with a hug.

Chloe returned her daughter's embrace before returning her attention to Lucifer. "I managed to get all the paperwork done, and there were no new cases. So I thought I'd get in early and actually cook a proper meal for once."

Lucifer grinned, and the expression on his face was one that Chloe knew well; an idea had struck him. She didn't know whether to be intrigued or worried.

"Well," he said, "if a proper meal is all you want, then you should have just asked, Detective. There's no need to slave away over the oven; let me take you two lovely ladies out for dinner. My treat. There's an amazing little Italian place I know that's well out of the way, and the chef there owes me a favour."

Trixie immediately began bouncing up and down, pulling on Chloe's jacket. "Can we go, Mommy? Please?"

For a few moments Chloe didn't know what to say. "I…I mean… If he owes you a favour, wouldn't you want something more important than this?"

"What could be more important than taking the two of you out to dinner?"

It wasn't some pick up line he'd probably used before many times on other women, and there was no flirting in his tone; his words were filled with soft sincerity, and Chloe felt a rush of warmth flow through her. How anyone could think that the being before her was pure evil was beyond her comprehension.

Unable to find her voice, she nodded. Trixie hugged her again with a cry of, "Yay!"

"Excellent!" Lucifer clapped his hands together. "Right! Why don't you two go get ready while I make the call?"

Chloe got her daughter ready first; she laid out a cream quarter-sleeve top with a stitched picture of a black flower on the front, and then picked out a black skirt that came just below the girl's knee. A pair of black sandals completed the ensemble. When she was certain that Trixie could get changed by herself, Chloe headed into her own room to start getting ready.

Choosing what to wear was a challenge. She wanted to look nice, but she didn't want to get too dressed up; the last thing she wanted was the send Lucifer the wrong impression.

 _Is there a wrong impression?_ The question lingered in her mind, even as she picked out a short black skirt, black heels that weren't too high and a cream jumper. What had happened with the Harveys had made her realize that yes, she'd been jealous of those other women giving Lucifer attention, and yes, maybe she had feelings for him. _Maybe_.

She wanted to tell herself that it was lust. Lucifer was hot as hell (she internally slapped herself for the shameless pun), and she would have to be blind not to see it. Even back in their early days when he was just an annoyance she wanted to get rid of, she had grudgingly admitted to herself that he was a handsome man. Though that had highlighted just how dangerous he was.

Not in the sense that he was violent and, oh yes, the Devil himself. Chloe knew that he would never hurt her or Trixie; that the violence was reserved only for the criminals they caught. And she'd completely accepted the whole 'he's really the Devil' thing, and it didn't bother her at all. No, she considered him dangerous because of how…easy it would be to give into his advances and sleep with him – only to wake up the morning after and get the brush off like she was just another conquests.

 _But he's not like that anymore_. She knew that he cared about her, and would never leave her side. And the more she thought about it, she realized that she hadn't actually seen any women in his apartment for weeks. He danced with women at Lux, and of course he flirted with them, but as for sleeping with them…there'd been none.

She frowned as she applied her make-up. _He hasn't even pushed me for sex since the incident at the school, and he was, like, doing that every day_. He'd been softer, particularly around her and Trixie, and Chloe couldn't help but wonder what that meant.

When she finished with the final touches, she took a step back to look herself in the mirror. It had been so long since she'd been out to dinner with anyone – at least outside of work; she'd been on plenty in order to get closer to a suspect or question someone – and felt rather out of practise. She and Dan hadn't had the time for many dates, what with Trixie and their demanding jobs. There had been a few in the months between the separation and when she met Lucifer, but they had been more out of spite; her way of getting back at Dan. She never had sex with any of them.

Thinking more about it, most of the men she had dated had lost interest when she'd told them about Trixie, and the few that didn't had been reluctant to include the child. Lucifer had specifically invited her daughter along, _wanting_ to include her. That put him in a whole different league than the others before him.

She wondered when she started comparing Lucifer to her previous dates.

Finally deeming herself ready, she left her bedroom and found Lucifer and Trixie sat on the couch waiting for her. Her daughter was wrapping something around Lucifer's wrist, and edging closer Chloe noticed that it was…a friendship bracelet. An honest to God _friendship bracelet_. And Lucifer actually looked happy to receive it.

When Trixie noticed her mother, she grinned and proudly held up Lucifer's wrist to show her. "Look, Mommy! I made this today at school! I made one for Maze, too."

The bracelet was mostly white, but with gold and silver woven into it. She noticed a second on the coffee table; red, orange, yellow and black, obviously Maze's.

Lucifer turned and his gaze softened when he saw her. She had seen his features soften before many times, especially whenever he was around her, but the way he was looking at her in that moment…it made her feel beautiful.

The suddenly overexcited Devil quickly hurried them out the front door, and Chloe drove while Lucifer directed her to the restaurant. The Italian place really was out of the way, like he'd said; so out of the way she wondered if it was one of those places that only celebrities knew about. After parking up they walked inside, Trixie between them holding both their hands. Chloe couldn't help the feeling of _family_ that rushed through her.

Lucifer greeted the waitress at the front with his name, and she hurried away before returning with the grinning chef, who shook Lucifer's hand with enthusiasm as he insisted that their meal was on the house. He personally showed them to their table – a booth towards the back, quiet and out of the way – as Lucifer explained the favour he'd done for the man.

"Pietro used to cook for a mafia boss here in LA, and one terrible night he witnessed a rather nasty execution. He wanted out, but was too afraid to go to the police; feared that they were corrupt. So he came to me, and I gave him protection and a good lawyer – who, of course, just happened to owe me a favour – and Pietro was able to provide the evidence your little organization needed without the fear of anyone blowing his brains out."

They sat down, ordered, and overall, it was the best evening Chloe had experienced in a long time. The food was divine; her Caesar salad was the best she'd ever tasted. Trixie's pizza was larger than her head, and she managed to gobble it down in record time; like it was secretly a chocolate cake. Lucifer ordered spaghetti and meatballs, and with a sparkle of mischief in his eyes he slurped up the strands one by one, much to Trixie's great amusement – and Chloe's as well.

They talked, they laughed, and by the time dessert arrived – a chocolate cake which they shared, much to Trixie's delight – Chloe was rating the night out well above any she'd had before. Which included her evenings with Dan.

She no longer cared that she was comparing. She didn't even care that there was no longer a _maybe_ when it came to her feelings for Lucifer. How could she not have feelings for a man who was so fiercely protective of her child – and herself?

Chloe was falling hard, and unlike her partner's Fall from Heaven eons ago, she knew she was going to enjoy it – and had a feeling that her Devil would be waiting at the bottom, ready to catch her.

With the bill taken care of, the trio left once they were done. Trixie was close to falling asleep and struggling to keep her eyes open, and a comfortable silence settled over them. It gave Chloe time to think, and soon she realized…she didn't want the night to end. It was over for Trixie, who looked about ready to drop, but not for her and Lucifer. She wondered if he would be up for drinks at Lux if Maze was back to watch Trixie.

She didn't dare to ask him until she was certain that Maze _was_ indeed back – and when they walked through the front door, Lucifer carrying Trixie, and Chloe saw the demon sat at the breakfast bar with a box of Chinese take-out, she actually felt _giddy_.

 _What is this, high school?_ The rhetorical question didn't damper her excitement.

Trixie was still awake, and when she saw Maze she slid down from Lucifer's arms and approached her. When she took Maze's hand and led her over to the coffee table to retrieve the friendship bracelet, Chloe took the opportunity to turn to Lucifer before he could slip out the door.

"Are you doing…anything else tonight?" she asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

"Nothing important. Why?"

"Well…if you weren't doing anything…maybe we could…go back to Lux and…have a drink?"

She expected him to make some kind of sex joke, or flash her with an arrogant grin which somehow managed to look impossibly adorable at the same time (she didn't think an arrogant grin could even _be_ adorable until she met Lucifer). But instead he looked surprised for a moment, before an actual genuine smile lit up his face. It was filled with hope and happiness, and the sweet look in his eyes didn't hurt, either.

"Of course we can, Detective!" he said. "I'm sure Maze won't mind watching young Beatrice for the evening."

"He's right," Maze called from the couch. She was letting Trixie tie the friendship bracelet around her wrist while she addressed the pair. "You two go have your fun. I'll watch the kid. I'll even take her to school tomorrow."

When Chloe realized what the demon was implying, she tried to protest…but for some reason, her voice died in her throat.

They didn't leave right away; Chloe first helped Trixie change into her pyjamas before putting her to bed. After leaving her daughter's bedroom she found Lucifer preparing the girl's lunch for the next day, and found that she wasn't surprised that he knew exactly what she had.

After saying goodbye to Maze, they left the apartment and walked out into the night. Chloe headed towards her car, but Lucifer stopped suddenly.

She paused too and turned towards him. "Is…everything OK?" _Is he changing his mind?_ Disappointment crept up on her.

"No, I was…I was thinking that we shouldn't take your car," he said.

Chloe frowned. "But your car isn't here… Wait, how did you even get here before?"

"Oh, I flew."

"You _flew_?"

"Yes, that's what wings are for."

Despite her gut telling her it was a bad idea, she crossed the distance separating them. "So how do you suppose we get to Lux if we're not taking my car?"

Too late did she answer her own question. Lucifer smirked, and before she could blink his arms were around her and they were suddenly in the air, the wind rushing past them.

Chloe let out a cry of surprise and wrapped her arms around Lucifer's neck, holding on for dear life. "Lucifer, what the Hell-?!"

"Hold on tight, Detective!" He changed direction, and Chloe let out another cry as she wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her face against him, eyes screwed shut. "You holding out OK?"

" _Seriously_?!" she yelled above the wind. "We're flying hundreds of miles above LA, and you're asking me if I'm _OK_?!"

"We'll be fine in a moment, Detective." His voice had taken on a soothing tone, and Chloe held onto his words and his promise months before that he'd never lie to her. Her grip on him tightened and she attempted to steady her heartbeat. She felt Lucifer swerve a couple more times before slowing to a steady glide, and his voice tickled her ear as he whispered, "You can open your eyes now."

She didn't want to at first. But then she realized that not only did she trust that it wasn't some kind of cruel joke, she trusted him with her _life_. They were probably hundreds of miles above the city, and yet she knew that he would never let her fall. In his arms, she was safe.

So Chloe opened her eyes. And gasped.

They were flying above the clouds and smog from the city, and it was apparently enough to block out the light pollution, because the stars above them were amazingly clear. It was a sight she rarely saw, having lived in the city all her life, only leaving upon the occasional family vacation. They were beautiful.

But not as beautiful as Lucifer's wings, spread out majestically as he glided on the wind. It was as they should be; strong and powerful in mid-flight, the wind ruffling them like an ocean wave, and the stars illuminating them in wonderful light.

When they passed by a cloud that was particularly white and fluffy, Chloe was brave enough to reach out with one hand and let it pass through. She laughed at the odd sensation her action created, and Lucifer chuckled along with her.

Soon they passed down through the clouds, and the city below became visible again. Chloe's fear of their great height had vanished, and turning slightly in Lucifer's arms, she gazed down at the beautiful city in awe. The sight was breath-taking.

Her head moved to rest against Lucifer's, and she heard his breath catch.

They began a slow descent towards the city, and Lucifer's wings began to pick up the pace. One minute they were high in the air, and then the next, they were stood on Lucifer's balcony.

"We have to do that again!" Chloe exclaimed. She let go of Lucifer and set her feet down, but suddenly felt the chill of the night air once she was away from him. Her arms wrapped themselves around herself instinctively, though the chill went away as quickly as it came when Lucifer circled his wings around her to block out the wind. The tips of his feathers gently grazed against her bare legs.

She giggled a little at the touch. It tickled.

"Ooh, like mother, like daughter. You're ticklish too, Detective." His grin was positively sinful.

Chloe's eyes widened, and when Lucifer took a step closer she bolted inside and silently thanked the fact that her work had taught her how to run in high heels.

Not that it helped. She barely made it past the couch before Lucifer caught up with her, catching her with his wings and creating a prison around her. A fluffy, white, completely unthreatening prison.

"Lucifer…" She couldn't even finish her sentence and laughed.

"Now…" he began, his grin widening. "What to do with you? So much…punishment to choose from…but I think…I know…"

In a flash his arms were around her, pressing her back against his front, and then his hands were everywhere; running over her skin and making her laugh out loud as he tickled her into submission. Chloe attempted to wriggle from his grasp, but he kept her firmly in place – though she admittedly didn't try that hard, as a small part of her never wanted to leave.

"Lucifer, stop!" she gasped out between laughs. He only chuckled before pressing his nose against her neck and rubbing, continuing the torturous tickling.

And then, ever so gradually, the tickling drew to a halt. Chloe remained in Lucifer's arms as she wondered why he'd stopped – but her unspoken question was answered when Lucifer buried his face further into her and kissed her neck with the deepest affection she'd ever felt in her life.

"Chloe…" He said her name like a prayer, and his touch was warm and gentle.

 _Something_ in his voice caught her attention, and she turned in his arms. She had to see his face. She _had_ to.

And she found what she was looking for. His look of adoration as he gazed down at her was overwhelming.

He was a Fallen Angel. Ageless. God's once favourite Son. The Devil himself. The Mighty Morningstar.

And he was looking at her, a little mortal woman, like she could save him from the fiery pits of Hell.

 _He…he loves me_.

"Chloe…" He leaned in closer, and then suddenly his lips were on hers, and he was kissing her like she was his only air in an eternal ocean, so desperate, yet so tender, and she kissed him back because how could she not?

"Lucifer…" She pulled back, needing air, and she felt his wings behind her keeping her close. "I'm not going anywhere," she assured him.

His smile was so sweet and gentle she almost cried. He leaned in again and dotted her face with little kisses, before pulling her close to him and burying his face into her shoulder. "You're the reason, Chloe. You're the reason I'm here; why I came here. I didn't know it at the time, but I came here looking for…a home. And that home is you. I love you, my darling. I'll never leave your side. I love you, I love you…"

For the first time in her life, Chloe felt…cherished.

It gave her the courage to admit that she'd already fallen.

"Lucifer…" He met her gaze, and she smiled at the depth of emotion in his dark eyes. "I love you, too."

The shock on his face, which changed into overwhelming happiness, was worth it.


End file.
